What is a protest?
It is a form of communication to voice out ones lack of agreement over a certain issue.


Why do people protest?
1) Express a grievance about a perceived wrong or injustice
2) Highlight the fact that the protesters are unable to remedy the grievance by their own efforts
3) Provoke a reaction from the target group
4) Draw attention to the grievance.

Types of protest:
1) Silent
2) Public

Silent:
People may turn to silent forms of protests, for example writing letter or signing petitions. This is common in democratic communities.



Public


Common forms of protests include:

Strike: This is where people stop going about their regular daily duties. For example a teachers strike where professors would stop lecturing for various reasons. Another different type of strike is a hunger strike where the protesters go without food for a long period of time.

Wearing particular kinds of clothing: Protestors may wear particular forms of clothing to show their unrest with a particular issue. A common example is the 1968 Olympic games in Mexico where Tommie Smith and John Carlos raised clenched black gloved fists and black socks in support of the Afro-American Black Power Movement as the national anthem was played.


(From 1:20 to the end.)


Marches: This is the most common form of protest where people gather and march to various locations and along the way they are shouting and alerting other people of their disapproval over certain issues. The protesters commonly have placards and banners to display what they are protesting against.
‘Throwing objects as a form of disapproval is embedded in our human and cultural consciousness’ (Ibrahim, 2009).
Protesters during marches may either be peaceful or violent where weapons of destruction like stones and other forms of weapons.

HOWEVER....




Some protestors use various objects to throw at their targets. For example shoes, pies and eggs for various reasons not only as a sign of disapproval but also to add some sense of humor.